Laura's news
by cookie-geek
Summary: Laura has some news, and yes you can probably guess what it is!


Disclaimer: I wish I had the genius, but sadly these characters are not my property.

Laura Hobson waited at the end of the corridor nervously. She could see Robert Lewis in his office but Superintendant Innocent was there to get the low down from him and James Hathaway on how their current case was going and Laura wanted to catch him alone. It was hard to wait unobtrusively in a police station as there were always people coming and going and she knew most of them so had to say hi awkwardly over and over. After much discussion and gesticulating from the three coppers, finally Innocent left and, luckily for Laura, headed the other way. That just left Hathaway. He had sat back down and put his feet up on the desk, his face telling Laura that he was bring sarky about something. Lewis had his back to her, staring at something on the white board they had set up with photos of the suspects and a timeline indicating where each had been. Laura could tell from how he hunched his shoulders that he was stressed and or frustrated and wondered whether she should just go. She almost talked herself into leaving when Hathaway stood up and headed for the door, most likely for a cigarette break. Laura backed up a few paces down the hall so when she passed him coming her way it looked like she had just arrived.

'Hi, Laura' James said with as friendly a smile as he ever gave anyone. 'Hi, James' she replied in what she hoped was a casual voice. 'Is Robbie around?' James nodded as he reached inside his jacket for his packet of cigarrettes. 'He's in the office saying the same thing over and over again like a broken record. I thought I could slip out for afew minutes and not skip a beat.'

'Enjoy the fresh air' Laura said sarcastically and turned to go, not noticing the questioning look on the sargeant's face as he watched her go. Her forced casualness had sounded just that, forced. The lure of nicotine was too much for him though and he shrugged it off, sure his boss would fill him in on what she said anyway.

Laura kncked tentatively on the open door. 'Knock knock' she added for good measure in the same casual voice. Robbie turned round and smiled a her, the cares and worries leaving his face for a moment. 'Heya Laura, come in.' He said. 'How's it going?' she asked with a half smile and raised eyebrows letting him know he could have a bit of a rant if he liked.

'Well I know bloody well who dunnit, but I can't work out how. He's alibied all evening, and though part of it is shit and easily shot down, other parts make it look like he was somewhere along the Botley road when I'm sure he was in Cowley. I just can't work out how he wangled it.' He took a deep breath an exhaled slowly. 'Anyway, if your after a spot of dinner you'll have to go without me, I'll be here a while yet trying to figure it out. How was your day?'

Laura wasn't going to talk about her news now so gave an outline leaving out the crucial facts. 'Post-mortem on a car crash victim.' 'Verdict?' asked Lewis. 'Should have worn a seat-belt' replied Laura. Lewis shrugged in a 'what can you do?' kind of way. Laura took a deep breath and said what she'd gone there to say. 'Robbie, can we talk. Soon, after you've finished this case. And I mean properly talk, not in a pub with Hathaway playing gooseberry.'

She'd tried to sound lighthearted but Lewis was too much the detective to beleive her. 'Laura, what's wrong? Is everything ok?' He took a step towards her and put a hand on her arm. She looked up at him and smiled. Even the brief touch made her feel better, stronger. 'I'm fine, everything's fine. I just got some news today that i want to discuss with you. But it's not urgent and I'd rather wait til I have your full attention which means after the case. Is that ok?' Lewis nodded, hearing the truth in her voice. 'If you promise you're ok?' Laura nodded. 'Then it's a date. Soon as I get this bastard I'll let you know and you can pick the time and place. How does that sound?' Laura smiled. 'Perfect.' She layed a hand on his chest and looked up into his eyes. 'Sorry to be so enigmatic about this. I just...' Lewis gave her a quick hug. 'It's fine. I'm no use as a sounding board at the moment anyway, me heads full of times and grainy cctv pictures. I promise I'll call when it's done.' Hathway returned then and clomped in unnecessarily loudly to let them know he was there. They dropped their hands and Laura said her goodbyes, heading home to curl up on the sofa and think.

It took two days for Lewis and Hathaway to figure it out. It hadn't been Jones driving the car at all. Yes he had got in it at his house as seen by his neighbour, but he had driven to his brother's house and swapped cars, that's how he had manged to be in two places at the same time. Once they'd nicked him, formally charged him and made a start on the report Lewis dialled Laura's personal mobile number. 'I got the Bastard' he said. 'He's locked up and I'm all yours whenever you want.' He ignored the face Hathaway pulled from across the room. For once Hobson ignored the innuendo as well and he started to worry again. She sounded chipper enough though as they made plans. She had about half and hour or so more to do then stopped by his office. They grabbed some fish and chips and headed down to their ususal place by the river. They did all this in what Lewis thought was a comfortble silence but to Laura it was a toturous void. They sat on their bench and Lewis tried to get her talking by nicking a chip.

Laura didn't notice. 'What's up?' he said, starting to get concerned again. Laura smiled weakly 'Nothing, I just have to tell you something and I don't quite know how.'

'Best just spit it out, then' said Lewis sagely reaching for a handful of chips. Laura frowned then took his advice. She turned to face him and blurted out. 'Robbie, I'm pregnant.'

Lewis froze, his hand in mid air with chips not destined to reach his mouth. His eyebrows shot sky high as he tried to process the information. 'Pregnant?' was all he could say.

Laura nodded sheepishly, biting her lip slightly. Lewis lowered his hand and dropped the chips. 'Pregnant? but I thought...' he looked enquiringly at Laura. 'So did I' she said, shrugging apologetically. He turned to her and scanned her face, looking for something. 'Well,' she promted. 'Say something.'

Lewis looked confused. 'What do you want me to say?'

Laura was getting anxious. 'Well, something, anything. Say what your thinking.'

Robbie smiled a little. 'I'm thinking that I want to say something comforting but I can't read you. I can't read what you're thinking and I don't want to say the wrong thing. What are you thinking?' Laura laughed, relieved. He wanted to comfort her. She'd just blown his world upside down and he wanted to comfort her. She knew she loved him for a reason. 'I've been so worried about how you'd react, I was going to take my cue from you.' Lewis smiled at her, put his food down and drew her close to him in the biggest bear hug he could manage. Laura felt the relief flood through her and found that she was crying. Lewis didn't say anything, but just held her, rubbing her back in slow circles and kissing the top of her blonde head. She cried for a couple of minutes then pulled away to wipe her eyes and blow her nose. 'Sorry' she muttered. Lewis smiled indulgently. 'It's ok, love. Combination of life-changing news and hormones, you didn't stand a chance.' She laughed, then choked then sobbed again. Lewis put his hand on her knee while she sorted herself out.

Laura exhaled slowly to calm herself down, then looked up at him. 'So what do we do now?' Lewis stoked her cheek gently. 'Whatever you want to do.' Laura looked up at him a bit lost. 'I don't know what I want to do.' Lewis smiled. 'Well you don't have to make any decisions right now. How far along are you?'

'I'm not exactly sure but around ten weeks.' Lewis' eyebrows shot up again. 'That far?'

Laura shrugged. 'Well, I didn't think it was possible so the obvious diagnosis for my syptoms passed me by. I eventually went to the Doctor about the nasuea and he did a blood test. Turns out it's not uncommon for a woman my age to get, how did he descibe it, a "last burst of fertillity before the body gives up the ghost"'. 'Charming' said Lewis and they both laughed, relaxing a little. 'When did you find out?' He asked.

'Tuesday morning. I didn't want to tell you when you where in the middle of a case so I've spent the last few days going over it in my head.'

'And?' asked Lewis. Laura sighed. 'I came to the conclusion I had to talk to you.' She looked at him seriosuly. 'Robbie, aren't we too old for all of this? I mean, we agreed we're too set in our ways to even live together, how the hell are we going to cope with a baby?'

'If you were too old, then this wouldn't have happened. As for me, well, I am a dinosaur but ...' he stopped, getting emotional. 'Well, it's our child, isn't it? If we have to change some of our plans then we'll muddle through somehow.'

Laura looked anxious again. 'So you want to keep it?' Lewis sighed and took her hand. 'I didn't mean that. I meant that if you want, we could manage. More than just manage, I reckon we'd be grand parents, if you want. but if you don't, I'll support you too.'

Laura looked like tears where about to spill over again as she looked at him intensly. 'Really? Do you really think we can do this?'

'I know we can love, if that's want you want.'

Laura smiled the brightest smile he'd ever seen on her. 'It is, it really is. If you asked me last week if I wanted a baby I'd have said hell no, but I really want us to have this child.' Lewis grinned from ear to ear and bear hugged her again. Then pulled back to look her in the eyes. 'We're having a baby?' he said, the question only a slight inflection. Laura laughed and pulled him back to her. 'We're having a baby!'

After some tears and laughter they finished their fish and chips, which Laura said she'd been craving all day, and walked back to the high street hand in hand. Robbie joked that he could take early retirement and become a house husband funded by his pension and child benefit. Laura mocked him for being a grandad and a dad at the same time and they both giggled over their unborn child already having a nephew. Robbie asked how she was felling and ahe told him honestly that she felt totally sick but bizarrely horny. They each had their cars so they parted briefly to drive out to Laura's place, each grinning like an idiot the whole way. When they made love that night Laura scolded Robbie for being so obviously gentle with her. He apologised by going down on her, caressing her tummy where their child was growing as he urged her to orgasm with his tongue. They collapsed into each other's arms, Robbie falling asleep almost immediately. Laura lay there a while before drifting off, wondering quite how her life had got turned upside down like this, and quite how Robbie had made her so happy.


End file.
